Mark Ponzo

Mark Ponzo holds the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music with the Performer's Certificate. Dr. Ponzo is a Full Professor at Northern Illinois University, where he joined the faculty in 1990. His principal teachers include John Hagstrom, Barbara Butler, Charles Schlueter, George Coble, and Richard Jones. Mark is the Solo Cornet with The New Sousa Band and Illinois Brass Band as well as Principal Trumpet of the Fox Valley Orchestra and Antiqua Baroque Consort. He has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, and Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Mark is a regular substitute with the Elgin Symphony and Chicago Brass Quintet and has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Illinois Chamber Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic, Millar Brass, Light Opera Works, as well as numerous local orchestras.

He has been a featured soloist with The Music of the Baroque, Elgin Symphony, The New Sousa Band, Southern Tier Symphony, Fox Valley Orchestra, Kishwaukee Symphony as well as the NIU Philharmonic, Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony.

Mark has released three solo recordings; Music for Trumpets by Dexter Morrill (CPS-6857) – Capstone, Dexter Morrill: Three Concertos (CRC 2604) – Centaur and The Trumpet Music of Verne Reynolds (4843-MCD) – Mark Master Recordings. Dr. Ponzo was a member of the Eastman Wind Ensemble for the CBS/Sony Masterworks recording Live from Osaka (SK 47198).

In addition to his performance activities, Mark publishes through Balquhidder/Carl Fisher, Charles Colin Music Publications and the Buccine Press. His publications include 26 method books, 16 solo transcriptions and 2 unaccompanied works for trumpet. He has commissioned several new works for trumpet by Verne Reynolds, Dexter Morrill, James Phelps, Betsy Schramm, John Whitney, Michael Ruszczynski, Robert Fleisher, Pasquale Tassone, Kenneth Snoeck and Rufus Brown. He is a busy recitalist, doing an average of twenty full recitals each year, performing at most of the nation's finest music schools. He presents recitals on the Baroque Trumpet, Cornetto, Baroque Horn, Corno da Caccia, Flugelhorn and modern valved instruments.